Rebuilding and Reunions
by Chibi-Shibi
Summary: A story about rebuilding after the war.


**A/N: **

**Prompt(IWSC): Write about the golden trio trying to rebuilding the Magical world after the Battle for Hogwarts**

**Other Prompts: "wait, what?" , Rebuilding **

**Prompt(TGS Ollivander's Shop): Dragon heartstring: Write about Charlie Weasley.**

**Prompt(TGS Nautical Ship): Hermione Granger and Charlie Weasley - S.S. Pyro Studies**

* * *

A tall figure walked towards the pile of rubble that Hermione was enchanting to build into a wall again. She didn't notice him, being absorbed in her work. The spell to rebuild an enchanted castle had been hard to find and was even harder to cast.

So she was completely taken aback when the red-haired man embraced her from behind, making her lose her concentration momentarily. She turned around and found her 'attacker' smiling down at her pleasantly.

"Charlie!" she exclaimed and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He returned her hug and patted her on the back.

"When did you get here? Does your family know?" she asked when they broke away.

Charlie shook his head. "I wanted to see you first." Hermione smiled at his response. "And Hogwarts," he added with a sad note, looking at the rubble of the once-proud castle.

Hermione nodded. "It's been like this since...well, you know."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for the War. I...I just-" Charlie began, but she cut him off.

"You know no one blames you, right?" she asked. He took a deep breath and nodded. "But-"

"No buts, Charlie." Hermione was having none of it.

"Okay," he replied. "How've you been? I know we have been writing to each other, but I feel like you haven't been telling me the whole story."

"Well, aside from defeating Voldemort, almost getting kissed by Ron and-"

"Wait, what?" Charlie asked, cutting her off.

Hermione laughed. She had been trying to lighten the bleak atmosphere, and clearly, it had worked. "He tried to kiss me, that's all. It's not his fault, really. He didn't know."

However, despite her reassurances, Charlie looked slightly angry. Hermione guessed that the anger was directed at his brother.

"Charlie, there's nothing except years of friendship between Ron and I. You know this," she told him, taking his hand in hers. He nodded but didn't look convinced.

"Come on. Help me get these rocks back into a castle?" she asked, smiling, hoping it would get his mind off things. He smiled back and eagerly and picked up the book she'd been reading the spell from.

* * *

"I can't believe that we got about a third of the castle standing in just a day!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're a wonder, Charlie."

Charlie bowed in mock courtesy. "This castle has way too many memories for it to simply be rubble on the ground."

"I agree. But some people seem to be shunning it because they were scared that there might be traces of Dark Magic somewhere. Thankfully, we haven't found any yet."

"Do you want to go through the castle that we...well, built? I miss the feeling of walking through those halls."

Hermione smiled back brightly. Charlie always seemed to be able to read her mind. She too had wanted to go back into the castle and look around.

So she held out her hand, which Charlie took, and they walked into the rubble-surrounded half-a-castle.

"The dungeons!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing at a flight of stairs going downwards. "I don't think they were as badly damaged as the rest of the castle. Do you want to go see…?"

"Of course! Let's see how our old Potions classroom is doing. Everyone's favourite subject!" he smirked. Hermione laughed, knowing that while Charlie had done decently well on his Potions NEWT, he had hated the way the subject had been taught at Hogwarts.

As they walked down into the slightly damp dungeons, Hermione's eyes began to water up, at the thought of the numerous times she had run through these paths.

"Why are you doing this alone, Mione? Rebuilding, that is," Charlie asked, his voice echoing slightly from the cave-like walls.

"I'm not alone. I have you, don't I?" Hermione replied through her sniffles.

"That's not what I mea- wait, are you crying?"

"I just missed this place too much. Hogwarts is my only home, now…" Hermione, replied, wiping her eyes. "Besides, I told you. Many didn't come here because they thought there would still be Dark Magic here. Some are too broken to return to the battlefield where they fought. Some others are too busy fixing their homes, and other places the War destroyed."

"Oh," Charlie said, gripping her hand tighter to reassure her that he would be there for her.

"Look! The classroom," Hermione said, nodding towards the ruins of a door.

The two spent a few hours walking around the castle and fixing various little things, doors, statues, portraits, as they went along. They would point out the parts of the castle that had memories associated with them: the Quidditch pitch, now longer well mown, and barely even a 'pitch', the various classrooms where they had spent so much of their lives, the Great Hall, only half built, but enough to see the enchanted ceiling look like the most beautiful stars in the night sky, the Astronomy Tower, with a broken telescope which Hermione fixed with a wave of her wand…

"It's late, Charlie," Hermione remarked, looking through the windows. They hadn't realised how dark it had gotten, amidst their excitement.

"Yeah, we should be heading back," he replied, and so they made their way out of the castle and on the grounds.

"I'll see you here tomorrow morning?" Charlie asked. Hermione nodded. She had hoped Charlie would keep helping her. They worked so much better together, and besides, she did love spending time with him.

"That would be great," she answered. She turned to look once again at the towering castle, outlined in the moonlight. Despite the rubble, it still looked beautiful.

"Just like you," Charlie added. Hermione was surprised for a moment. She didn't realise she had said that aloud.

Charlie moved in closer to her. "Tomorrow, then," he muttered softly, but loud enough for her to hear, just before he swooped in and kissed her. When he broke apart, he smiled and waved to her, and apparated away before she could catch her breath to say anything.

Hermione smiled back contentedly at the darkness.


End file.
